Former prime minister Julia Gillard calls on Parliament to keep price on carbon

Updated
Mon 11 Nov 2013, 8:38 AM AEDT

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Julia Gillard says the Government needs to provide evidence that its direct action policy will reduce emissions.

AAP: David Crosling

Former prime minister Julia Gillard has used a speech in Melbourne on Sunday to urge Parliament to keep the price on carbon.

The Government says it will introduce legislation to repeal the carbon tax when Parliament resumes this week.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he is confident that Australia's greenhouse gas emissions can be cut by 5 per cent by 2020 - in line with the target set by Labor - with his direct action plan.

Ms Gillard, who introduced the price on carbon in 2010 after backflipping on a pre-election promise, says she wants to see evidence.

"If it is to be replaced by any other system then it is incumbent on those advocating the new approach to show it will cut emissions by at least 5 per cent by 2020 and it will do so by a lesser cost per tonne of carbon abated," she said.

Ms Gillard, who was speaking at an event called Credit Where Credit Is Due, said she made a political mistake in allowing Labor's carbon pricing mechanism to be called a tax.

"It's an emissions trading scheme with a fixed price and I should have clearly said so," she said.

The former prime minister also acknowledged regret at her handling of the asylum seeker issue, adding that the problem could not be solved by "sloganeering" from the Government.